Leadership and the ATHE

Abstract

1 In today’s increasingly globalized, competitive, and fiscally-afflicted, higher-education environment, academic leaders are regularly expected to serve as both “visionaries” and “managers” adept in all forms of political, economic, and social engagement. Likewise, performing arts leaders share a similar fate, as they need to be versatile tacticians skilled equally in both business and art. Given these realities, for higher education performing arts programs, the challenges are greater. These programs — and their parent institutions — require leadership and leaders capable of handling both immediate complexity and longterm transformation. As such, leadership development critical to this mission is a priority. This article explores the intricacies of higher education and the performing arts, and discusses the correlative characteristics of leadership, management, mentoring, coaching, and networking. Additionally, it provides in-depth description and critical analysis of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Leadership Institute — as the institute is a unique leadership initiative specifically designed to address this enigmatic niche subset of higher education. Effectual leadership is an essential element in any organization. It is the element that organizations rely on to translate goals and objectives into accomplishments (Rowley & Sherman, 2003; Simon, 1976). Equally as important is the need to develop leaders surefooted in handling the complex challenges and problems often associated with great responsibility. Further still, developing leaders must also be cognizant of the human factor inherent in organizational structures, as this often requires them to deliver otherwise seamless fluidity in their treatment of socialized activities. Therefore, the successful development of effective leadership is critical for both performance and accomplishment. This is not just true of commercial organizations, but also of academic agencies (Bensimon & Neumann, 1992; Braun, Nazlic, Weisweiler, Pawlowska, Peus, & Frey, 2009; Rowley & Sherman, 2003). Arsenault (2007) states, “Universities are definitely not immune to this need for effective leadership as they face similar challenges as any other organizations” (p. 14). In these settings, academic leaders must conjointly serve as both a “visionary” and a “manager” adept in all forms of political, economic, and social engagement. Comparably, 1 This article has been co-published in partnership with the Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education and Christopher Newport University.